Ello, the Anti-Facebook?
October 1, 2014Because it’s relatively inexpensive to keep the basic infrastructure of a Web site running, he feels confident that he and his co-owners—the designers and programmers who helped build the site—can turn a decent profit by selling extra features for a dollar or two apiece.
The New Yorker recently ran an article about Ello’s Anti-Facebook Moment. That quote stuck out to me.
Web infrastructure is in no way the major cost center that it once was, but it still isn’t cheap. And not as cheap as someone who would call it a “Web site” might think. A website is something a restaurant has, or an individual has to showcase their work, or a band to show their upcoming tour dates. A social network is a web application that has far more layers and is far larger than just a simple website. I’ve had a longstanding gripe with the word “just.”
Ello seems run by newcomers who may not know what they’re getting themselves into. Others have pointed out their VC strategy will likely turn them away from their mantra. And other fair skeptical reactions. And who can say for certain what’s happening for sure with social media?
The biggest sign of their inexperience may be:
“Let’s just make our own, and we’ll invite our friends to it,” he recalls telling them. “They were like, ‘That’d be a lot of work,’ and I said, ‘Come on.’ ”
Convincing a team with “come on” makes me think of “do it” from Starsky & Hutch. That’s not much of a business plan behind “come on.”
Even despite this, the idea of a user-centric business focused on a manifesto and public good is greatly appealing. We’ll just have to see if it sticks and for how long.
